Louisville among programs targeted in FBI investigation

FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2016, file photo, Louisville coach Rick Pitino gestures to his team during an NCAA college basketball game against Syracuse in Louisville Ky. Pitino’s No. 10 Cardinals are the highest ranked team in the eight-team field at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Paradise Island, Bahamas. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)(Photo: Timothy D. Easley, AP)

The University of Louisville is among the college basketball programs targeted in an ongoing FBI investigation into a "pay for play" scheme involving highly prized recruits.

Joon Kim, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at a news conference Tuesday that the FBI used wiretaps and undercover agents to reveal "the dark underbelly of college basketball."

University of Louisville interim president Gregory Postel confirmed the investigation Tuesday afternoon.

Among the allegations: an Adidas executive conspired to pay $100,000 to the family of a top-ranked national recruit to play at Louisville and to represent Adidas when he turned pro.

"While we are just learning about this information, this is a serious concern that goes to the heart of our athletic department and the university," Postel's statement said. "UofL is committed to ethical behavior and adherence to NCAA rules; any violations will not be tolerated."

Federal prosecutors declined to say whether any arrests are planned or charges will be filed against University of Louisville employees.

The FBI office in Louisville deferred all comments to federal prosecutors.

A target of the investigation is James Gatto, the head of global sports marketing for Adidas.

Described as “Company-1” in the criminal complaint, Adidas has a sponsorship deal with the University of Louisville and recently reached a $160 million, 10-year extension with the university.

Gatto is affiliated with “Company-1” and its high school and college basketball programs, per the complaint, which says he helped organize "some of the payments made from Company-1 to players and their families. ..."

The document does not specifically name the school or the student, referring to them only as "University-6" and "Player-10," along with the information about enrollment and location.

Player-10, the complaint says, committed to University-6 on or about June 3, 2017, “or almost immediately after the illicit bribe scheme.”

The only 2017 prospect who committed to the University of Louisville on that date and fits that description is five-star recruit Brian Bowen, an incoming freshman on this season’s Louisville team.

The student's commitment caught many by surprise, with media reports stating it was a "late recruiting coup" that "came out of nowhere," the document details.

“I don’t know anything about that,” Bowen’s mother, Carrie Malecke, said when contacted Tuesday by the Courier-Journal. “I don’t know anything about that. I’m not aware of anything like that. Not me. I had no idea.”

Bowen's father, Brian Bowen Sr., could not be reached for comment.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino did not immediately return a call for comment. An assistant in the sports information office said athletic director Tom Jurich is out of town and could not be reached for comment.

A second prospect, identified as “Player-11,” was said to have been paid to agree to attend the university as a member of the 2019 signing class. Player-11 is a member of an amateur basketball team run by Jonathan Brad Augustine, who also is named in the complaint.